Watched the news a lot last night. Everyone has to calm down, I think. I suspect this terrorism plot may turn out to be a vague sort of plan that never really had the slightest chance of being executed successfully. Instead of Canada’s Al Qaeda these guys will turn out to be Canada’s Guy Fawkes.
The big news is Stephen Harper has a sense of humour. I’m stunned. He said he would only worry about beheading if the talk of it came from members of his caucus. Ha ha.
Do they need to increase security on Parliament Hill? I don’t know. But I do know that I can remember going up in the Peace Tower as a kid and looking at the book of remembrance, and I’d hate to see the whole place clamped down with barricades all around.
And don’t call this Canada’s 9/11. There wasn’t any attack. A wake-up call? Certainly. But last night I heard someone on American news, maybe it was Jeanne Meserve on CNN, ask: what can be done to prevent these sorts of attacks? Well, um, correct me if I am wrong and Parliament was indeed blown up while I was in the bathroom powdering my nose, but wasn’t the attack prevented? Didn’t the security people do what needed to be done to “prevent” these attacks. That’s why this is not 9/11. Nothing happened. Nobody died.
Later, on CBC, Mark Kelley had a report from the Netherlands where he referred to the murder of Theo van Gogh as the “Dutch 9/11”. Sigh. Once again, a wake-up call? A turning point? Yes. But it was not the equivalent of 9/11. It was a one-on-one murder.
Overall the report from the Netherlands was pretty alarming. Alarming to see the hipster Dutch turned so scared and intolerant. Even the most tolerant of people have their breaking point and the Dutch seem to have reached theirs. I don’t know what lesson is to be learned from them. Wiser heads than mine will have to look at this situation.
Maybe I don't know anything about Canada, but I don't see the neighbourhoods of Mississauga looking much like the ghetto-ized areas of Britain and Holland that many European Muslims seem to live in. Other than being frustrated by the long line-ups at the Tim Horton's drive-thru, and just generally being disgusted with suburbia, I don't see the alienation. If your Islamic Centre is in a strip mall next to Subway, how much can you really cut yourself off from your neighbours?
2 comments:
I grew up in Ottawa. It's a great town. Don't close it down!
We used to wait inside the senate building for the Aylmer bus which only came once an hour. This was a long, cold wait in january, let me tell you.
Don't close the hill either. Where would people go on Canada Day? Or for the tulip festival?
Calm down, one and all.
I've read the Globe and Mail online - its been interesting. An interesting interview with 2 muslim MPs from the Mississauga area. Also an article expressing concern about coverage in the American media - what else can you expect from that lot? They are so self-absorbed.
And I think if you close things down, if stop doings things because your're scared, then the terrorists have won haven't they? I have very happy memories of my Canadian holiday and the parliament tour and all that. Would hate to think its all closed down.
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